Beyond the Shadows
by Anomaly90
Summary: Supposed orphan Amanda Pennington has had a horrible life, but she has a secret that no one else knows about. DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON PLACES, PLOT, OR CHARACTERS. Please review or PM. Thanks!
1. Chapter 1

Plip-plop, plip-plop, plip-plop. I hear the pitter patter of rain outside as I am taking my last test of the day. Then, I have to go on the bus to the most dreaded place, the daycare center. The people over there always treat me unfairly, but I have a secret they don't know. It all started in the summer entering second grade, one week after I started going to that wretched daycare center. Let me tell you my story from the beginning.

My name is Amanda Pennington, and after school, I go to a daycare called Smile Tymes with a crooked smiley face as its logo. It's a daycare for "special kids". Am I special? I sure am. I have dyslexia and I'm socially troubled. I had no friends until 6th grade with the exception of Ella, my best friend since I started going to Smile Tymes.

I've hated Smile Tymes since I first stepped in those filthy doors. There was a strong, stinky scent which smelled of rotten bananas. The walls of the main lobby were painted to look like a rainbow, but all the paint had been flaked off long ago, so it looked like the inside of a prison cell.

There are quite a few rooms in the building, but only four rooms were designated for children. There was a room for infants, a room for 3 year olds, a room for 4 year olds, and another room for the school age kids. The rest of the rooms were hogged by the staff and were places where they could simply chill. They had plenty of good food there, while they serve us some "chicken nuggets". Rumors say that the chicken nuggets are actually made from duck meat and pig meat. There was one bathroom per room, which means that 100 or so school age kids of both genders share one bathroom. The janitors only clean the bathrooms once a month, which makes me wonder if this violates any health codes. The staff bathroom, on the other hand, was a clean place that wasn't shared by a hundred people. The main child care room has nothing to do except a few books and some paper and pencils. After school, they would expect you to do schoolwork. During the summer, they would occasionally take you somewhere, but most of the time, you would be left to "socialize".

That place was a mess by its appearance, but that wasn't why I hated it so much. The main reason was because of the bullies. They had problems too, but not the same problems as I did. They had temperamental issues; whenever someone would do something small to anger them, they would target the small kids in KG, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade.

There was a sort of system in the room that the adults didn't know about. The ages in the room varied from 5 to 18, which was quite a broad range and unsuitable for a room of these many children. Kids ages 5-9 were the targets, and there were not many of them. Almost every time a new kid comes that was within that age range, they would leave within a week of their arrival. This leads to there being less elementary schoolers than middle or high schoolers.

The kids ages 14-18 were the big bullies, and they would torment the younger kids that can't do anything about it. Those bullies were nearly six feet tall in height, and the younger kids were probably two and a half feet smaller than them, so the bullies would do quite a bit of harm to them. Not all the older kids were jerks though. Mostly the girls and some of the boys would be nice to the younger kids, but they wouldn't do anything to stop it. The kids ages 10-13 were neutral, and would be bystanders or do their own thing. Occasionally, there would be one who stood up to the bullies, and they would also become , when they turn 14, as if by magic, they become the bullies that they were once humiliated by.

When I actually started going to Smile Tymes, it was late summer, and I was enrolled in their summer camp. I was entering second grade, and I was going through some hard times. My father had abandoned my mother when I was born, but it wasn't until last month that my mom died. The night she died, she went shopping at night and left me with the babysitter. A suicide bomber bombed the supermarket, and she was killed along with 30 other people. That was a tragic accident. After my mom died, I went to the Tampa Bay Orphanage. I hated that place almost as much as I hated Smile Tymes. A couple that came to visit told that I wouldn't stay there for long. I have long, dark brown wavy hair, and sea green eyes. My mom always told me that I got my father's eyes and hair. My skin was smooth and I had a Californian tan, even though I've lived in Tampa my whole life. Plus, in general, people around me told me I was a very cute child.

After a week, that couple adopted me. It took two weeks to get all the documents signed, and then I was legally their adopted daughter. It didn't feel right to call them "mom" or "dad", so we decided that I would call them by their first names, Gary and Kelly. Mr. and Mrs. Hendrickson are the town's best psychiatrists, and are nice and good with children, but Kelly can't have a child, so they adopted had also adopted a three year old a while ago, but they needed an older child to help take care of him. When they adopted me, they tried talking to me, but I wouldn't talk much. They found out that I've always had some problems talking to people, and I have dyslexia, so before I knew it, I was enrolled with the Smile Tymes education center. My adopted brother, Thomas, also goes here, but he is with the other three year olds.

Within a few days of my arrival, I started my first day of summer camp with Smile Tymes. It was late summer, around three weeks until school starts so this could get awkward. I'd like to say my first day of summer camp went fine, but of course it didn't.

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 **Author's Note**

 **This is my first fanfiction piece of writing, so let me know how I do by reviewing or PM me. I have a lot planned for Amanda, so stay tuned.😀**


	2. Chapter 2

When I first walked into the main room, my jaw dropped wide open at the sight of what I saw. The scene was so bad, that I can still remember it, and its been about 5 years. The 8th graders were using paper to make spit wads and attack the 1st graders with them. The 10th graders were giving wedgies to the kindergarteners. Various 2nd and 3rd graders were being pushed to the ground by the 9th graders. The fighting was like the relationship between cat and mice; the younger kids were the mice and the older kids were cats. As I walked in, I headed to the adults in the room, the so called "instructors" who supervised the kids, even though some of the campers were legally adults.

"Hi, my name is Amanda." The instructors took a look at their attendance sheet.

"Oh yes. Amanda Pennington, adopted daughter of Gary and Kelly Hendrickson. I know your parents. They're very nice people." Not knowing how to respond, I nodded politely. Then the instructor called out to the whole room, "Everyone head to the carpet. We have a new camper." Everyone stopped what they were doing (or not doing, since the older kids were bullying the younger and they couldn't do anything about that) and headed over to where I was. "Now, Amanda will introduce herself." She gave me a warm look, but the look I gave back to her wasn't.

In a soft voice, I started to talk. "My name is Amanda Pennington. Um, I live in Tampa." With that sentence, a bunch of snickers and laughs followed. Of course I live in Tampa, what was I thinking saying that? I could feel the blooding rising in my cheeks and my face getting red. "I live with, um, Mr. and Mrs. Hendrickson, and was adopted by them about a week ago." Then I hear someone in the crowd ask "What happened to your parents?" Hearing this, tears started welling up in my eyes. Surely, the bullies are going to tease me for this.

Then, the instructor saves me by saying "Okay Amanda, that's enough. Everyone go back to their normal activities." By normal activities, I'm guessing she means the bullying and the chaos. I gave her a look that says thank you, even though she was the one who started it in the first place. I then took a seat with a paper and a pencil and started sketching. I started to draw one of my favorite memories; when I went to the beach with my mom for the last time. We had been to the beach twice in my life; once when I was 4, and the other when I was 6. I was only 7 at the time, but I was still not bad at drawing. Drawing has always been there for me when no one else was. Anyways, when we went to the beach, my mom would always look out to sea, as if she was waiting for something to come. She loves the beach, but she had a melancholy face on her when we went. I love the beach. The dry, rough, loose sand in the middle, and the soft, squishy, and compact sand by the water. When the tide comes out, I like to wade in it. Every once in a while, the rip current sweeps someone off their feet. When I went when I was 6, I almost got swept to sea by the rip current. From where we live now, the beach is a short walking distance, so I could simply walk to the beach, but I doubt I would be able to go, with Kelly and Gary being so busy all the time.

A scream broke through my reverie. When I turned and looked to see where it was coming from, I see two large, burly teens bullying a young girl in about 2nd grade. I mean, there was plenty of bullying occurring at that moment, but these bullies were shoving her and teasing her so much that it was making her cry. Plus, I feel like she was more important because she was another girl my age. Then I made the stupidest decision of my life. I don't know where the heroic impulse came from, but I jumped right in between them.

"You can't hurt her! She's a human being like the rest of us! How would you feel if someone did that to you?" That statement sounded exactly like what a goody two shoes second grader would say, and I did not want to be known as goody two shoes.

At first, the two bullies were too stunned to speak. The room was quiet. A puny little 2nd grader couldn't tell them what to do. Then, the bullies started laughing so hard. Soon, their laughing turned into shouting.

"You can't tell us what to do newbie. 'How would you feel?' You're so pathetic, newbie. Isn't she, Gavin?" One boy said to the other.

"Yeah Jackson. She's the sorriest excuse for a girl."

Then Jackson turns to the girl. "You can go Ella. Let's see how the brave little girl feels. She won't be so brave after I'm done with her." Jackson and Gavin started to head towards me.

I immediately regretted what I had done. Now, I was about to become history. I wanted to go and run in a corner. I wanted to tell the instructors (who, by the way, are sitting in a corner and reading magazines), but I couldn't run now. Almost everyone had crowded around us. What could I do now. So, instead of showing how scared I was, I pretended I wasn't afraid of them at all.

"Oh yeah! You want a fight?" I said in my squeaky little 2nd grader voice. "Bring it on, you cowards!" In the room, one a wave of "oohs" and "ahhs" came. I even heard a few gasps. Jackson and Gavin looked infuriated. Crap, I thought, these guys were going to kill me. They look like they are already criminals, so who's to say they won't do something again. I needed to think of something and fast. Too busy thinking, I didn't see Jackson and Gavin approach me. Just as I see them coming after me, Gavin pushed me to the ground and Jackson punched me right in the face. Ouch. Anyways, isn't it illegal to hit a girl? I put my hand to my face and when I look back at it, I see that my hand was covered in blood. I had a horrible feeling that my nose was bleeding. I could also taste blood in my mouth, but I wasn't sure if that was from my nose or if my lip was busted open.

I wasn't going to let these two beat me up so easily, so I got up. I felt so weak, and I was staggering a bit, but I managed to walk straight up to Gavin, and give him a good blow to the head. He wasn't prepared for a 7 year old girl to hit him, one of the most feared bullies in the room. He staggered from the impact of the blow and toppled on top of Jackson.

"Gavin, you idiot! You're getting beaten up by a 7 year old!" Jackson screamed at Gavin.

"Actually," I say, "You both are getting beat up cause both of you are on the ground and I'm still standing." Being the sxtupid idiots they are, it takes them a moment to acknowledge that fact, and glared at me with a really angry look. I actually started to feel a bit sorry for them, so I apologized.

"I'm really sorry for doing that. Any chance you could forgive me?"

JI get the answer I was expecting. "Are you kidding? I will never forgive you!" Gavin shouted at me.

"You'd be better off if you got off the planet. Otherwise, I will kill you the first chance I get." Jackson said.

Well, earlier I said I apologized. I really should have said that I tried to apologize. So there I was, first day and I already messed it up by making an enemy. Could I remind you that this entire time, the "instructors" were just sitting in a corner, reading magazines. I also could have sworn that they had ear buds on. For the rest of the time I was here, I sat in the corner, thinking about my actions and waiting for Kelly or Gary to pick me up.

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 **Author's Note**

 **Please review or PM to tell me how I do. Your review and messages inspire me to write more**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

 **Hello to everyone who may be reading this. I don't know why I decided to finish this chapter up and update today. I just had some extra time in the library to finish the chapter i started in July. So the first half was written in July, second half in the last month or so. Enjoy and remember to Read and Review!**

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The next morning, I had a feeling the day will be good, despite knowing that Jackson and Gavin were after me. The argument... that seemed like such a long time ago. A good night's rest had washed away that bickering. It was the start of a fresh, new day.

The weather that morning was serene. The sun was smiling as I went out the door. You could here the gentle breeze laughing to you. All the birds were singing, their music and gentle as a lullaby. The flowers were in full bloom. With the variety of colors, the lawn looked like a painting. The world was a natural paradise.

My paradise ended when I got inside the lobby. All the happiness left me. I was stuck in that prison again. I just wanted to run outside and hide in the bushes until Kelly or Gary picked me up. I was just about to run before the secretary and Kelly pushed me through the door.

When I got in, I looked around for Gavin or Jackson. Neither of them were there. Yes, I thought to myself. The room was a bit more peaceful than yesterday without them around, but it was still quite violent.

Before I could get my self in more trouble, the instructors told us we were going swimming. I didn't bring any clothes, but the center had some clothes to offer me. After changing, I applied sunscreen and wondered which pool we were going to. Maybe we weren't going to the pool. We could be going the beach. I really hoped we would be going to the beach. It wouldn't be the same without my mom there, but it would still be enjoyable.

The instructors ruined my day by saying we were heading to the pool. I hoped it was an outdoor pool area, not an indoor pool used for lessons or professional swimming. I felt a feeling of disappointment. I really wanted to go to the beach. At least I would be going to the pool, where I can go inside the water.

When everyone was changed, we headed for the buses. There were three buses, one for elementary schoolers, one for middle schoolers, and one for high schoolers. The middle school bus and the high school bus were packed, while the elementary school bus was almost completely empty. It was so empty, that everyone could get a seat to themselves, with plenty of seats left over. I simply couldn't wait to arrive at the pool.

The Lower Tampa Aquatic Center was an area that resembled a small water park and a pool combined. There was a shallow area and a deep area. There were also plenty of water slides. The shallow area didn't go any deeper than 4'. That was my first time at LTAC, so I didn't know what to expect.

When I first got there, I ran off to the kiddie section with the other elementary schoolers. I took a step into the water and I instantly feel comfortable, so instead of slowly making my way into the water, I get out, take a running start, and cannonball into the pool. As soon as I hit the water, I felt a surge of energy hitting me, and any stress I had vanished.

When I broke the surface, I saw a very angry lifeguard looking in my direction, but I didn't think I did anything wrong, so I simply turned away, thinking that someone else violated a rule. Then, I heard the lifeguard say "You over there, look at me." But once again, I thought he was talking to someone else, so my back was still turned to him. Then, after some mumbling (I could swear there was a curse word in there) and talking to someone else, he said, "Amanda Pennington, come over here this instant!"

Uh oh. So it turns out he was talking to me.

"But," I say, "I didn't do anything wrong!"

Then, the lifeguard looked at me with fire in his eyes and said very matter-of-factly, "You actually broke two rules. Number 1, no running outside the pool. Number 2, no splashing, and let me tell you, your cannonball made a huge splash."

"Well," I say, "I'm sorry. This is my first time here, and I don't exactly see a sign with the rules anywhere." The lifeguard then points over to a corner and, sure enough, the rules were hanging right there, and right on the top of the list were no running and no splashing. "Oh."

The lifeguard looks at me with a smug expression on his face. Looks like I made another enemy. What was up with me and making enemies? I think the fact my mom was gone has made a great impact on me.

After the deal with the lifeguard, I went back in the water (this time, I walked right in). I felt that same energizing feeling that I had when I jumped in the water. While simply hanging out in the water, I come across Ella, the girl who I defended yesterday.

"Hey there," she said to me.

"Hi," I say, returning the greeting."What's up?"

"I wanted to thank you for defending me yesterday."

"Your welcome. Heck good it did me, though."

"That was a brave thing you did for me."

"Thanks."

"But it was also the stupidest thing that anyone ever did."

"I kind of figured that out already," I say. And indeed, that was the stupidest thing I did up to date, and it's been 5 years since my mom was killed.

"No," she said. "What you did wasn't stupid; it was absolutely suicidal. I mean, if you had done it with one of the other bullies, it wouldn't be as bad. Since you angered Jackson and Gavin... Well, let's just say you may want to pack your bags and move to Canada."

Ya think, I thought.

"Well, since you're new here, I might as well fill you in on the things that go on around here."

"Fill me in, girl!"

"Well..."

After a couple minutes of listening to Ella, I got the basic gist of it. Jackson and Gavin had been here since they were 10, and they are 12 right now, meaning that they have been here for 2 years. That means they are only 12, yet they are the meanest bullies around. it seems that they are exceptions to the age rule. They've been bullies since they started there, according to Ella. They also look as if they are full grown men as opposed to boys who haven't even hit puberty yet. This makes me question their ages... It is also quite obvious that Jackson is the main bully, and Gavin is the follower. That's how bully pairs work; one is the teaser, and the other one echoes. That's what they show in the movies, at least.

"Thanks for the information," I say to her. "How about we wash this tension away with some swimming?"

"Sure."

That was how I made my first friend; through an act of heroism by me that was going to nearly kill me later.

The water slides in the shallow end were really childish. They went down from 3 feet off the ground because of the rule "No splashing" that applies to this part of the center. After a while, I got bored of them, so Ella and I started to hold breathing contests. I would always win with almost a minute at a time. After a while, even that got boring.

At around noon, an announcement is made for the green band test, which was the test to be allowed to go into the deep water. And go on this sweet looking water slide in the shallow area. Ella wasn't going; she doesn't know how to swim. Now that I think about it, I don't either, but it doesn't hurt to try, right? At least my new friend would come to cheer me on.

The test took place in the deep water area, which was 9 feet deep. That kind of scared me, because up until that point, the deepest I had been was just under my height, which was 4'3". Now being in water double the depth, I'm feeling a little uneasy about this. I just hope I'm one of those people who is a natural swimmer.

Just as the lifeguard was explaining what you had to do (swim 50 yards and tread water for two minutes), I hear "Oh, you are so going to pay from yesterday." I turned my head and there they were; Jackson and Gavin. And I thought they weren't here today. My day suddenly went from good to not so good.

"Look," Gavin said. "The little girl is trying to get her green band!"

"What's wrong with that?" I spoke defensively.

"Nothing, it's just that you can't swim if you're dead." Jackson said with a smirk

"What do you mean if..." I never got to finish what I was saying, because at that very moment, Jackson pushed the top part of my body. I fell and all that was heard was a sickening crack, and the last thing I remembered was the red all around me before I blacked out.


End file.
